IPA Export Strength
Greene King / Morland Brewery

 

Not very hoppy for an IPA. Aroma and taste are weak and mouthfeel is watery. However flavor emerges when it warms a bit. Elements of caramel and toffee come through...

There seems to be some confusion as the label on the bottle that I bought today June 30th 2015 is the same as the archived Greene King IPA export but has same abv as export strenght at 5%. Doubt if the bottle has been around since 2012. Can't see a BBD. Anyways o.k. drinkable but nothing special.

 

 

 

 

Greene King IPA Export has a thin-to-medium off-white head, some lacing left on the glass, noticeable bubble streams, and a rather murky, amber-brown appearance. The aroma is of rich, sweet, brown bread crust, yeast, caramel candy, and hop resin. Taste is the same, with some mellow bitterness and a fairly odd earthiness. Mouthfeel is medium and a bit chewy, and Greene King IPA Export finishes semi-dry, refreshing, and interesting.

RJT

Dark amber color with a little bit of foam that faded rather quickly.

Smells mildly of citris, nuts, pine, and hops. Not a strong smell.

Lots of malt, bread, nut, and caramel flavor, with just enough hops to be worthy of the pale ale title. Not bad, but a bit boring.

Medium carbonation, easy to drink, with a hint of molasses lingering on the finish.

I tend to prefer a bold and strongly flavored IPA which this is not, but if you like a bit milder flavor this is a decent beer.

 

Scary carrying this around in a clear bottle - might've been DOA?

Wow! A ton of foam when pouring - had to pour in shifts. Ended up not smelling or tasting foul, and not particularly hoppy either. Mostly crusty, melanoidin-y British pale malt and typical English fruity esters, asleep in the background.

Darker in color, a robust tawny, than I would expect in an "IPA". With each sip, the more boring and ham-handed it seemed. You know, it does have malty similarities to other older, traditional English IPAs from England that I've tried, but that malt is just a little too old-ish, papery, and up front - does this suggest it's an old, oxidized bottle? Perhaps. Could've sworn the best-by date was still ~2-3 months away.

Hops were all but absent from this experience. This is more of an ESB - and I've been through this "huh?" thing with IPAs over there. Fuller than you'd want, but dry enough to knock it back.

Not incredibly moreish. Maybe I expected just a morsel more than what I got here.

A 500ml clear glass bottle with a BB of Jan 2013. Label has had a make-over since the photo was taken. Described as a stronger 'export' version of their regular IPA.

Poured into a straight pint glass. A deep marmalade-amber colour with good carbonation; large bubbles rise quickly to the surface. Forms a decent head of frothy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before dissipating. Aroma of caramel malt with notes of toffee, tart apples, fruit, grass/hay, stewed hops and a hint of sherry. Faintly sweet, with a mild whiff of diacetyl and cardboard in the background. Hops - where are they?

Tastes of caramel malt with a dry finish. Notes of toffee/caramel, grass, fruity ale yeast, stewed hops and mild sherry. A hint of sweetness. Not much hop presence. A subtle, dry bitterness upon swallowing, followed by a faint twinge of cardboard staleness. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, but insubstantial. Rather astringent, with an aftertaste of caramel malt and stewed leaves.

Meh - a subpar ale and not much of an IPA. Where the hops be at? Reasonably well made, but dull as ditchwater. Drinking an IPA should be a pleasure, not an exercise in mediocrity. Can't say I rate this too highly - no need to seek it out.

The colour is amber-brown (25 EBC), the liquid clear. The high head is pale brown and airy, it sinks slowly leaving some thick lacing.

The smell is a bit frowsy with notes of pulp and wet cardboard. Sweet molasses and some chemical/metallic bitter hints. Some cookies and biscuits.

The taste got a passing clean bitterness. Sweet biscuit-like caramel malt. Hints of toffee. Some dried fruits (especially apricots) and green berries. Hints of molasses and cheap toffee candy. Low to medium body. The aftertaste got some slight notes of green bananas and other unripe fruits, butterscotch and a dry almost astringent bitterness. The finish reminds me of toffee flavoured coffee.

The carbonation is a bit stronger than medium, the medium sized bubbles a little sharp. The liquid is light and a littie dry.

This is not a very good IPA.

A clear copper amber brew with small bubbles, a high warm off-white head, good lacing and some curtains.

Smelling herbal and citric, grass, nettles, lime and lemon. Some nuts and cereal.

Starting with dark sweet bread notes, then some lemon and grass, and bitter orange peel.

Medium carbonation, small bubbles, oily and slightly coarse, a long dry finish.

A well done IPA, much hops for the bucks.

 

half-liter bottle poured into a nonic.

Appearance is a clear copper with a health white head. Retention is excellent as is lacing.

Smell is pure skunk. The clear bottle was a terrible idea is this beer is a perfect example. One of the skunkiest beers I have smelled. I was hoping it would dissipate after awhile but no such luck. Underneath the skunk, however, there are some earthy hops and caramel malt.

The flavor continues the skunk. Earthy hops are more detectable, though, and a soft underlying bitterness throughout. There is plenty of caramel malt along with a moderate sweetness. Mouthfeel is pretty good.

This is a beer I would love to try out of a cask or keg. I feel that fresh and without the skunk, this could be a really good beer.

 

A: Deep, dark amber with no visible carbonation but a solid 1.5 finger, tan head that doesn't stick around for very long. Lacing appears normal.

S: Ummm, smelly socks hops... Maybe some adjuct grains in with the light malt. No alcohol noticable.

T: Bread malt but almost a complete lack of hops. Some bitterness to the finish but nothing in the middle.

M: Medium-high carbonation. Nothing really sweet and sticky and nothing too hoppy to bite.

O: Not really something I'd get again. Lack of hops on the tongue make this more of a APA than IPA.

Mine is labelled simply "Greene King IPA Export", but the beer listed as such has one review and shows the ABV as 6%, but mine is 5%. I've reviewed it here as excepting the title, it is consistent. Bottle into Erdinger pint glass in low altitude Galway, Ireland. IPA has historically been my least favourite style.

A: Pours a two finger head of decent thickness but little cream. Retention is ~1.5 mins. Clear copper colour.

Sm: Hops - I assume bittering. Barley. Maybe some cream.

T: Very hoppy, with some unwelcome bittered caramel (it's as bad as that sounds) and malt. The balance is garbage. The build probably won't even satisfy fans of the style, as it aborts the "bittering hop on the climax" approach for some manner of half-assed hop medley. The butterscotch is okay, but gets viciously murdered in the climax.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and crap. It even betrays its style.

Dr: Poorly priced. Terrible quality. I just hate the flavour outright. Even for what it's trying to do, it's shite. It's even in a clear bottle; obviously the brewers need a brewing lesson. Garbage.

500ml Bottle

Appearance - Clear copper colour with an average size frothy off-white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for just a minute before it was gone.

Smell - malts, caramel, pears, tea

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste lots of malts and caramel. There are also notes of pears, tea, and a slight amount of hops. The beer finishes with a malty aftertaste with a small amount of lingering hop flavour.

Overall - One of the better English IPA's that I've had so far. It would make a good session beer and it was very well balanced.